


A Pleasant Sense of Happiness

by howtosingit



Series: 30 Days of Tarlos/30 Songs of Tarlos [22]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Camp Counselor!Carlos, Camp Counselor!TK, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howtosingit/pseuds/howtosingit
Summary: “Something in the wind has learned my name / telling me that things are not the same”*Camp Counselor AU. After a summer away, TK Strand returns to Camp Redwood to find himself paired with a good-looking bunkmate. Like, really good-looking.30 Days of Tarlos/30 Songs of Tarlos - Day 22: “Top of the World” by Shonen Knife
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: 30 Days of Tarlos/30 Songs of Tarlos [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770025
Comments: 17
Kudos: 131





	A Pleasant Sense of Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never been to a sleep-away camp, but the media has painted it to be an experience of life-changing adventure and romance, so I say we should let our boys have it!

——————

TK pushes against the door to Cabin Three, hoping that it will give way so that he doesn’t have to put down his bags; his arms already hurt from having to lug them around all day, and if he drops one, he’s definitely just going to leave it on the porch to deal with later. Luckily, after a few moments of grunting and knocking his head against the door, it swings open. The unexpected give causes TK to topple forward into the cabin, and straight into the arms of his new bunkmate. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologizes, attempting to regain his balance as he looks down at the arm braced against his chest. His brain can’t help but to zero in on the massive bicep pressed against him, or the way he catches a whiff of deodorant and shampoo that smells really, really good.

When he’s back on his feet, his face flushed with embarrassment, he glances quickly at the person in front of him and nearly swallows his tongue. 

The guy is fucking gorgeous.

There’s so much to look at, and he tries so hard not to sweep his gaze down the muscular, bare torso in front of him, but he can’t help it. He doesn’t know this person, has never seen him at Camp Redwood before, but judging by the wide, bright smile and soft, brown eyes that continue to stare at him, TK thinks he’s definitely going to want to spend more time with him this summer.

“You okay?” the guy asks, his expressive eyebrows rising on his forehead. TK nods, stepping further into the room to drop his bags. “You must be TK,” he continues when TK doesn’t make an attempt to speak. “I’m Carlos.”

“Hey,” TK says once he’s dropped his bags on the empty bed, turning back to Carlos with a smile on his face. “Nice to meet you, and sorry for falling on top of you like that.”

Carlos shakes his head, his smile growing as he laughs under his breath. “I thought it was adorable, a perfect first impression.”

TK feels his eyes widen as he stares at Carlos, his heart pulsing at his words. There’s no way that this hot guy can be interested in him, TK thinks. There’s no way that he would be that lucky. 

“Um, okay,” TK responds, his hand rising to rub his neck. “I’ll try not to make it a habit though.”

Carlos smiles over at him before turning to his bed to pull on a shirt. “So, I know you just got here, but I was actually going to walk over to the mess and grab a snack. You wanna come?” TK spots what he thinks is a hopeful look on his face, making him even prettier.

“Yes, actually, I’m starving,” TK moans, turning to grab some essentials from his bag. When he’s ready, he turns back to Carlos, who is waiting for him by the door. They head out into the sunlight, turning towards the mess hall. 

“So, Carlos…” he trails off, turning to look at the man next to him.

“Reyes,” Carlos responds, shooting him a smirk.

“Carlos Reyes,” TK continues, “is this your first time at Redwood?”

“No, actually, I was here last summer,” Carlos says, looking around as they walk past the other counselor cabins. TK hums in acknowledgement. “And you’ve been around before, right? The other counselors may have mentioned you once or twice last year,” Carlos explains at TK’s questioning look. 

“Yeah,” TK says, turning to look out towards the lake. “I was a camper here a few summers when I was a teenager, and a counselor two years ago, so this place is pretty special to me. In fact,” he says, pointing a finger at the boathouse ahead of them, “that boathouse is where I had a very uncomfortable kiss with Rebecca Jensen when I was 13, and then the next summer, a very satisfying kiss with Michael Stanton.”

He turns to look at Carlos, a smirk on his face as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. TK watches as the other man’s face turns red, his blinding smile reappearing on his face as he can’t help but to laugh. 

“Well, the other counselors weren’t wrong,” Carlos says, leading the way up the stairs to the mess. “You really do know how to have fun.” He pulls open the door, gesturing for TK to go first. 

Before he steps inside, TK stops in front of his bunkmate, his eyes locking on to Carlos’s brown ones. “What about you, Reyes, do you know how to have fun?”

He watches as Carlos visibly swallows, his eyes dragging down TK’s body before landing back on his. TK feels a spark in his gut, like something is coming to life within him. He wonders if Carlos feels the same. 

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” Carlos finally says, his response pulling a small gasp from TK. With a saucy wink, he wraps his arms around TK’s shoulders before pulling him through the door. 

————

It’s a very different summer at Camp Redwood than what TK remembers. Sure, the food is largely the same, though with way more healthier options than when he was a camper. And yeah, there’s all the same activities - hiking and swimming and archery and music and art and ‘capture the flag’. His daily schedule hasn’t changed too much from when he was a counselor in the past — he still has to get up way too early and march his campers all around, and lead campfire songs after dinner before having some free time until bed. 

But now, he gets to do all of that with Carlos.

They’ve been at Redwood for a month now, and TK is sure that his bunkmate is the closest friend he’s ever had. He’s never been one to shy away from meeting new people, always happy to break that awkward initial tension as quickly as possible to move on to something real. It’s just kind of his personality. But even so, he and Carlos feel different.

For one thing, they spend almost every waking minute together. Normally, counselors who live together don’t share campers, but through an oversight, Carlos and TK were given the same two cabins to oversee. At first he was concerned that they might get sick of one another, but it’s been four weeks, and he honestly likes Carlos more and more every day.

They work so well together, their personalities meshing to create a sarcastic banter that their campers absolutely love. Currently, Carlos has claimed ownership of one cabin, and TK has the other, allowing them to create friendly competitions between their two houses. But at the end of the day, they’re also just a really good team.

TK has also noticed how tactile Carlos can be. He’s such a kind, supportive person, always listening without judgment, fully leaning in to whatever conversation that he’s taking part in. When TK sits next to him, Carlos will reach out when they’re speaking, a gentle hand on his shoulder, or a tap on his thigh. Each touch sends a chill through him, but it also gives TK an excuse to freely touch him back. As a very tactile person himself, it is not an opportunity that TK squanders. 

He just can’t wait for their touches to go further, for their relationship to evolve. He can see it coming, like a train speeding towards him, and it fills him with such thrill, he refuses to step off the track.

————

They’re out on a hike with their campers, the clear blue sky above them cutting through the trees, sunlight streaming through the branches. He’s trailing behind the group today as Carlos leads, and it’s quickly turning into one of their signature banter moments.

“Guys, keep up, keep up,” Carlos says from the front, lightly jogging backwards as he smiles out at them all. He’s so full of energy, and sometimes TK hates him for it. “I know TK’s dragging a little behind today, but there’s no need for anyone else to. We’ll just pick him up on the way back,” Carlos teases, catching his eye as the campers laugh. Breathing a little heavier, TK just sticks his tongue out at him, mentally preparing retribution for a later time. 

They walk for five more minutes until they reach a sunlit clearing, the tall trees closing them in to provide shade around the perimeter. 

“Okay everybody, thirty minutes for lunch before we head back down. No one goes further than four trees in any direction, and yes, I’m looking at you Tate,” TK says, pulling his pack off of his back as he collapses into the grass, letting the sun beat down on him as he takes a deep breath. 

A shadow passes over him, and he knows who it is without even opening his eyes. “You doing all right there, TK?” Carlos says, and TK opens one eye to see him standing over him, hands on his hips as he grins down at him. It just makes TK want to kiss him really, really bad.

“Oh, yeah, I’m good,” TK says, rolling over to grab his water bottle from his bag. “I’m just letting you think you’re the really fit and active one so that I can throw you off your game when you’re not expecting it,” he jokes, downing some water.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Carlos watching the way his throat moves as he swallows. TK can tell that he’s closer to reaching his breaking point after four weeks, and while he’s been happy to wait, knowing that Carlos strives to remain as professional as possible, he can’t deny that he’s ready for them to give in to each other.

While he’s lost to his thoughts, Carlos takes a seat next to him, pulling out his brown-bagged lunch. Digging inside, he pulls out a cookie, holding it out for TK to take. With a smile, TK sits up, grabbing the cookie and shoving it into his mouth. If he moans a bit at the taste, he’s not ashamed.

Carlos laughs, pulling out the rest of his lunch. “I better get your veggies,” he says, confirming their usual lunch trade. TK rolls his eyes, pulling out his own lunch and handing over the requested item. 

They sit there next to each other, eating their lunch while deciding what to do after lights out tonight. TK really wants to take a late-night swim, while Carlos’s vote is for a movie in their cabin. By the time lunch is over, they still haven’t made a decision, choosing to resume the argument over dinner.

On the way back to camp, TK once again takes the end of the line, smirking when he tells Carlos that he likes the view from the back better anyway. Carlos pushes him away, a blush rising on his cheeks, before corralling the campers to pick up all of their trash and form their lines; then they’re on their way. 

They’re almost back to camp when TK suddenly feels his left foot drop through a hole in the path, his body jerking forward as he feels his ankle catch. With a hiss, he pulls it out, but when he goes to step on it again, a pain shoots up his leg. Cursing under his breath, he hobbles off the path to sit down in the grass.

“Hey, Carlos!” TK yells, wincing at the pain he feels when he touches his ankle. “We need to stop for a minute!”

Carlos turns back to him, stopping the group when he sees TK on the ground. In no time, he’s at his side, a hand on his shoulder as he looks him up and down. 

“What happened?” Carlos asks calmly, and TK gestures towards his foot. 

“My foot went through a gopher hole or something, and I think I twisted my ankle a bit,” he explains. He watches as Carlos tenderly runs his fingers along his ankle before carefully slipping off his shoe and sock.

“I think it’s already swelling,” he says, pressing gently; TK lets out a small hiss at the pain. “It doesn’t seem to be broken, though. I’ll wrap it and then we’ll get you to Marta.”

He reaches into his bag, pulling out the First Aid kid as he tells their campers to take a water break. Then, he’s pulling out an ace bandage and, with the most careful hands, begins to wrap TK’s ankle. 

It doesn't take too long, and then Carlos is rising up, calling the group back over. “Okay, Gavin, I need you to carry my bag, and AJ, you carry TK’s.” The two boys do as they’re told, strapping the bags to their front side for balance. Then, Carlos is helping TK to his feet and turning away from him. “Come on, TK,” Carlos says, gesturing to demonstrate what he wants, and with a giant eye roll, TK climbs onto his back. 

As they lead the group towards the nurse’s office, TK can’t help but to press his face close to Carlos’s ear, his hands splayed across his firm chest as he holds on. “You know, one one hand it’s embarrassing for you to be carrying me like a child,” TK says, lowering his voice so that only they can hear. “But on the other, it’s kind of nice to know that you can carry my weight around like this. Might come in handy some time.”

TK feels Carlos grip his thighs tightly, turning his face slightly to glare at him. “I’m going to get you back for that comment.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” TK challenges, watching as Carlos can’t help but to smile at his reply.

————

Marta examines him, determining that it’s definitely just a minor sprain, and that he should ice it and wrap it for a few days, while staying off of it as much as possible. Then, she’s giving him some pain reliever, and Carlos is walking him to their cabin, thankfully allowing him to stay on the ground while he clings to his side.

He’s laying in bed, eyes closed, when he senses Carlos nearby, and looks to find him standing by his bed, staring down at him softly. “I think I’m going to take a quick nap before dinner,” he says, watching as Carlos nods before visibly taking a deep breath.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asks, his eyes glinting in the sunlight through the window.

Instead of answering, TK scoots over, giving him room on the bed. They’ve shared a bed before, usually when they’re watching a movie on TK’s laptop and accidentally fall asleep. That doesn’t change the fact that when they wake up, he’s always wrapped in Carlos’s arms, but they never really talk about that part.

Carlos lays down next to him, their arms coming to rest against one another. For a moment, they don’t say anything, and then TK feels Carlos’s fingers gliding back and forth along the back of his hand; the sensation sends a chill through him. Before he can overthink it, he maneuvers his hand until their fingers are intertwined, squeezing gently as his thumb strokes against Carlos’s soft skin. 

He feels the other man shift beside him, moving onto his side as he brings his free hand up to trace along TK’s jawline. TK closes his eyes, a smile rising on his lips. He squeezes Carlos’s hand again, this time in encouragement. 

Carlos seems to understand as he moves closer, pressing himself against TK’s side, bringing their bodies as close as possible. TK feels Carlos’s hand rise to his run through hair, while at the same time he leans forward to press his forehead against TK’s temple, his nose gliding gently along his cheek. 

“I’m going to kiss you,” Carlos whispers, and TK nods slightly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. He hears Carlos groan in his ear. “I can’t promise I’ll want to stop,” he says.

“Then don’t,” TK says, turning his face towards him as Carlos moves to press their lips together. 

TK can feel him everywhere, his hand cupped along his jaw to hold him steady. Their joined hands remain between them, but TK brings his free hand up to run it through Carlos’s curls, his mouth opening wider for Carlos to deepen the kiss. The feel of his tongue against his lips sends a spark down TK’s spine, a fire roaring to life in his chest.

It’s a moment that he’s been waiting for, and it makes him feel like he’s on top of the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://howtosingit.tumblr.com/)


End file.
